Julianne Van Buskirk - City Sidewalk

Artist: Julianne Van Buskirk 
Materials: sterling silver, emerald, chrome diopside, peridot, sapphire
Size: 8 1/4
Dimensions: top: 1 1/2" x 1 1/4" x 3/8" band width: 3/8 inch

Artist Statement:
During this year of disquietude, disequilibrium, and grief, I have often felt unmoored and disconnected. I've had to be more deliberate in my self-care and in maintaining a healthy attitude. The stories of the courage, grace, and perseverance of others in the face of great adversity have motivated and inspired, and I continue to seek healing, joy, and strength in nature's beauty. Though beauty can easily be obscured inside a dark cloud, a cultivated openness allows for its discovery in the most unexpected places. This ring is the manifestation of the hopeful visual I carry with me as a reminder to seek healing beauty and lean into life with tenacity no matter what the circumstances. I've rendered a lush growth of silver and gemstone moss between the cracks of an inhospitable, tarnished city sidewalk in silver hollow forms.

"Amidst the noise and the fumes and the elbowing crowds, there is some small reassurance in the moss between the cracks."
-Robin Wall Kimmerer

Artist Bio:
Nearing a decade ago, I left a career as a Montessori teacher and took up the torch. My education in fire, metal and stone has been primarily experiential, but I've benefited from the generous writings and workshop offerings of gifted metalsmith with far more experience. I appreciate the freedom to play, explore and experiment I've been afforded by not knowing all the rules. My aesthetic and designs arise from my reverence for and deep connection to nature, and the dramatic landscape of the Southwest where I live is a reliable muse. I'm fascinated by the many manifestations of the patterns that shape and texture the natural world; they work their way into nearly every piece I make. My love for depth and dimension comes across in my employment of hollow forms. I'm eager to spend more time forming metal and fabricating armatures to enhance the sculptural quality of my work. It's my hope that each piece I make invites others to look more deeply, thoughtfully at our gorgeous world.

This ring is part of Battle of the Rings: Ring Smackdown 2021, an online exhibition and competition. Shop the entire collection HERE, view the matches HERE, and learn more HERE.